Honeymoon in Vegas Reviews
Chicago Tribune- Somewhat Recommended
"...The Marriott production is better than the one (briefly) on Broadway because it's gentler, more human and thus warmer and funnier. But it still doesn't change my mind about this ill-gotten material, which, at the very least, needed temporal specificity and a satirical scalpel sharp enough to inject a musical point of view."
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
"...Let's deal the winning cards right from the start here: "Honeymoon in Vegas," the non-stop laugh-inducing, joy-generating show now at the Marriott Theatre, is the sort of musical comedy you might think no one is capable of creating any more. With a plot line as zany as the one for an old-fashioned gem like "Anything Goes," paired with a mother-son relationship as fraught and funny as anything dreamed up by Mike Nichols and Elaine May (and linked to a fear-of-commitment), it is goofy escapist entertainment of the highest order. It also is blithely free of political correctness, a true rarity among recent Broadway musicals."
Daily Herald- Recommended
"...Adapted for the stage from the 1992 film starring Nicolas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker and James Caan, "Honeymoon in Vegas" -- in a buoyant, beautifully cast regional premiere at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire -- is the musical equivalent to a rom-com. Helmed by members of the original Broadway creative team -- director Gary Griffin, choreographer Denis Jones and costume designer Brian Hemesath -- this "Honeymoon" is a pleasant, well-devised diversion that doesn't make demands."
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
"...you can spend 150 minutes having a great time with Gary Griffin's crack cast, a score that wittily parodies Vegas-style ring-a-ding-ding, and Denis Jones's smoothly athletic choreography. Michael Mahler and Samantha Pauly are good as Jack and Betsy, but Sean Allan Krill and Steven Strafford are consummate as Korman and his oily flunky, Johnny Sandwich (anglicized, he explains, from "Focaccia")."
Stage and Cinema- Recommended
"...Late summer fluff that’s too fast to fester in its foolishness, this 150-minute Honeymoon in Vegas carries its amoral storyline to strange heights and a few disconcerting depths. And, even glimpsed in-the-round, the skydiving finale delivers some major moxie. You could do worse."
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
"...Marriott did bring the original Broadway director, Gary Griffin ( a master of the musical stage and in particular, the stage at Marriott Theatre) back for this production. Transferring a big musical to the in-the-round- stage at Marriott is no easy task, but having Griffin at the helm assures success! Let me tell you the story-line of “Honeymoon in Vegas”. Our main character is Jack Singer ( played to perfection by Michael Mahler, who can do anything and everything). His late mother Bea ( a great comic performance by Marya Grandy) has put a curse on him so he will never marry. She has been gone 10 years, and for the past 5 years, he has tried to propose and wed the adorable Betsy Nolan (a wonderful performance by Samantha Pauly), a smart teacher who truly loves him back."
Chicago Theatre Review- Recommended
"...This easygoing book musical is a nice throwback to the tune-filled shows of yesteryear. Andrew Bergman’s script, along with a catchy score and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, isn’t earthshaking. It’s simply a pleasant, entertaining summer diversion, somewhat like the theatre version of a good beach read. The show is fun and frivolous, a faithful blast from the past for those who remember the film, and a nicely-produced escapist amusement. It’s well-directed, features some especially talented area triple-threats and fulfills a promise to give the audience a good time. What more can anyone want from their Honeymoon in Vegas?"
Chicagoland Musical Theatre- Recommended
"...The greatest nit with Honeymoon is with its (admittedly hilarious) simplistic plot. Dweeby mamma’s boy, Brooklynite Jack Singer, loves needy schoolteacher Betsy Nolan. Jack can’t propose to Betsy because, on her deathbed, his mother, Bea, promised to curse him if he ever wed. Realizing his time is about up with Betsy, the two fly to Las Vegas to marry that night."
Chicago Theater and Arts- Highly Recommended
"...The music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown will not go down in the American Song Book like Loesser's "I'll Know" or If I Were a Bell" but the lyrics are so outrageous that they bear careful listening to or descriptions will be missed because the music sounds so romantic and sentimental."
Picture This Post- Recommended
"...While this author prefers a more subdued approach to today’s musical, Honeymoon in Vegas is well recommended to any fan of glitz, glamour, and extremely well-choreographed numbers. Even if the plot itself (written by Andrew Bergaman) does not entice, Jason Robert Brown’s music and lyrics create a thrilling production depicted by extraordinary artists."